Eid Mubarak!

As the month of abstinence approaches its end, it is time for celebration and be thankful for everything that we have achieved or endured with dignity, both individually and as a nation. With Eid-ul-Fitr only a day or two away, it is also time for a spiritual stockpiling. The holy month of Ramadan is more than a ritualistic abstinence from food and drink—it's a divine way of teaching us empathy for those less fortunate and other important values such as compassion, honesty, tolerance and respect for life. Such principles are also invaluable for a society to function properly.

It is painful to see that despite our high regard for these principles, we often gravitate to practices that are in direct contradiction to them: inflated prices of essentials that come with every Ramadan, the increase in extortion by law enforcement officials and others holding positions of authority, tragedies suffered on the roads as people cover great distances to spend their Eid vacation with family and friends, etc. We hope we will learn from our mistakes, imbued with the spirit of Ramadan, to forge a better, safer future for all of us.

We also hope that, unlike past years, there will be no unfortunate casualties in accidents during people's rush for home or when they come back. Let each of us do our duty and exercise restraint to ensure that all travellers stay safe. Let us share the joys of Eid with everyone.

We wish our readers Eid Mubarak!